Having worked for Wild Earth Travel for ten years, I have a few ‘one-liners’ when it comes to selling small ships and expedition travel, and I certainly emphasis that “it’s all about the destination”, and not so much the ship… until now. Ponant’s luxury icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, certainly knocks things out if the park.
Quite simply, I would not be exploring the ice-dense North-East coast of Greenland at this time of the year without the icebreaking capabilities of this incredible ship. There is only one vessel in the world with a higher ice class (Russian Nuclear-powered 50 Years of Victory) and witnessing Le Commandant Charcot break through an 8-meter ice pressure ridge last night was truly spectacular. And equally spectacular, was silently sneaking up on 60-plus resting and feeding polar bears who were not phased at all by our presence.
On this two-week voyage, I am sitting in on every lecture and presentation possible, and while most are from the expedition team of naturalists, historians and the like; perhaps the most enlightening one so far has been from Captain Patrick Marchesseau and Chief Engineer Hugues Decamus. Both have been instrumental players since the inception of this ship in September 2015 when planning meetings first kicked off. Hearing them both talk about Le Commandant Charcot is like hearing proud parents talk about their favourite child, and the milestones she has reached so far have been many – reaching the true North Pole being just one.
The talk covered everything from the construction of the vessel, the two giant Azipods at the vessel’s rear for steering and propulsion through the ice; right through to the safety drills that were initially carried out and continue to be carried out. In fact, only a couple of days ago we had the Danish Navy join us, and a series of medical and fire drills were performed, with the Navy helicopter dropping people and supplies onto our heli-deck. This was certainly a sight to see while enjoying a lunchtime cocktail in the Observation Lounge on deck 8. When we later had to free the Navy vessel from the pack ice, I was reassured we were certainly on the most capable ship, and certainly one of the most luxurious ones I have ever experienced.
Le Commandant Charcot exudes the chic French décor and design of the other vessels in the Ponant family and then some – an indoor swimming pool, detox juice bar, snow room, cigar room are all extra touches that while at first I thought were a bit too decadent, they have been fully utalised by myself and other guests onboard.
And then there’s the science – both the science of the ship, and the science onboard the ship. Chief Engineer Hugues Decamus talks about the dual use of diesel and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas); the ice routing equipment onboard which is sending information back to universities to update global ice charts; and the clean ship status Le Commandant Charcot holds. This certainly reassured me we are not just doing things in an environmentally safe way but in fact positively contributing to something much bigger. On top of this, Le Commandant Charcot has a huge emphasis on science on board. Facilities include both wet and dry labs, a meteorological station on the top deck, even a sonar room; and space is dedicated on each voyage to host scientists who are selected by the independent Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE) based on submissions. And we get to participate – Citizen Science is forefront on ice landings – from collecting snow samples to uploading photos of clouds and whales alike, I am excited to think my information will actually be used by universities and even NASA.
As I look out the window of my cabin, I pinch myself (again) knowing what an immense privilege to be in such a remote part of the world at this special time of year, and on board Le Commandant Charcot is really the only way possible. In this instance it certainly is all about the destination AND the ship. My new daily habits of a morning detox juice, afternoon sauna and spa, and evening meal curated by 21 Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse just makes it so surreal. Perhaps a polar plunge today will shock me back into reality!
Sarah Porter
Wild Earth Travel
On board Le Commandant Charcot
Tuesday 18 June 2024
